Walk a Mile In Another's Moccasins

Not that the 53rd NFL Super Bowl needs another sidebar story for viewers to debate, it nonetheless appears the pre-game and half-time entertainment offers one. There is a dust up within the African-American community regarding Atlanta Native Gladys Knight's National Anthem performance. The fuss pits the 74-year for legendary singer, Knight against 31-year old, Colin Kaepernick's First Amendment expression as he refuses to stand for the National Anthem before NFL games in an effort to bring attention to what he believes is excessive use of force by policemen perpetrated on African-Americans.

Evidently, some folks feel that Knight is 'selling-out' on her Black brothers and sisters' fight for social justice by accepting the NFL's invitation to perform.

Not that my voice is meaningful, I still will offer the following: I profoundly defend Kaepernick's First Amendment expression rights and any other NFL players who might join in kneeling during the National Anthem. That said, I also praise and give thanks to military vets who made sacrifices defending our Nation, its symbolic flag and peoples' rights to sit during the Anthem.

I don't know a lot about the personal lives of  Kaepernick and Knight. I do recall that Knight was pregnant at age 16, had three children and four marriages. I also know that her adult son who served   as her manager suddenly died of a massive heart attack and Knight herself entered a rehab center for  a gambling addiction. Suffice to say, the iconic singer faced many emotional hurdles during her   journey. Kaepernick on the other hand is the child of a Caucasian mother and African-American  father. He was a highly touted high school and college educated athlete who signed a multi-million dollar NFL contract.

It is fair to conclude that these two individuals have experienced different journeys. What I find  interesting is those outside those two journeys have the audacity to critique and criticize choices each has made regarding personal-life decisions.

Now, I understand that this subject can engender high octane emotions and I welcome any comments on the blog. However, please don't be foolish and attempt taking me to the wood shed suggesting something so stupid as to point out that I am unaware of the 'Black experience.' Should you go there, you disclose a failure to know me and my journey.

My contention is a simple straightforward one: Don't expect Knight to make her personal career decisions based on Kaepernick's personal career decisions.

Finally, I hope one day to see Kaepernick throw another NFL touchdown pass and in the meantime, I'll enjoy the singing  voice of Gladys Knight honoring our country with her rendition of the National Anthem. Certainly, I pray that our leaders and concerned citizens continue to pressure all parties to investigate and resolve the issue of police and citizenry engagement.

Oh, before closing there is one other thing I should tell you about Gladys Knight and Colin Kaepernick...they each have a net worth of $20 million.

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Walk a Mile in My Shoes